Huskers Remain Unbeaten with Sweep of Lobos

Lincoln ? Second-ranked Nebraska wrapped up its final test before the start of conference play, sweeping unbeaten New Mexico, 3-0 (25-19, 25-18, 25-17) to win the Ameritas Players Challenge at the Nebraska Coliseum Saturday afternoon.

The Huskers, who improved to 8-0 on the season, jumped on the Lobos quickly, using a fast start and an amped up NU Coliseum crowd to take control and cruise to their 75th consecutive home win. The victory moved the Huskers into sole possession of second place on the NCAA’s all-time list, as the Huskers hit .320 on the afternoon and held the Lobos (8-1) to .125 hitting to hand New Mexico its first loss in nine matches.

Nebraska Coach John Cook was pleased with the Huskers’ fast start and preparation after last night’s win over LSU.

“We were dialed in and were right on their game plan,” Cook said. “I think their setter was a tight ? she set some tight balls that we got on. Besides the breaking down their passing, we very focused and really did a good job with just one day to prepare.”

Tara Mueller keyed the Husker efforts as the sophomore outside hitter had a team-best 12 kills and a career-high three aces ? all of which came on consecutive points in the second set.  All-American Jordan Larson nearly posted a double-double of her own with nine kills, 10 digs and a pair of service aces, as Nebraska totaled six aces and hit well over .350 in each of the final two sets.  

 Larson, who is now one ace shy of Val Novak’s school career mark of 161, was selected as the tournament MVP and was joined on the all-tournament team by setter Sydney Anderson (31 assists, seven digs and five kills on .833 hitting) and middle blocker Kori Cooper (seven kills on .875 hitting and five blocks).

The Huskers used strong serving and a stifling block to take command of the first set with a 25-19 victory. The Huskers recorded three aces, including two by Larson, and out-blocked the Lobos, 4-0. The Big Red took control early as two straight Cooper kills ignited a 11-1 run, as the junior had three kills and a block in helping NU build a 14-4 cushion after Larson’s second ace. Nebraska was in control throughout and led 24-14, only to see the Lobos fight off five set points before Mueller’s fourth kill of the game closed out the opener.

In the second set, the Huskers got untracked, hitting .379 as a team and pulled away late for a 25-18 victory. Mueller got the Huskers off to a quick start, running off three straight aces to put NU up 5-1. The Lobos, behind the play of outside hitter Jeanne Fairchild roared back, winning five of the next six rallies to tie the score at six apiece. Fairchild had seven of her match-high 13 kills in the second set to keep the Lobos within striking distance. Leading 17-15, the Huskers took control with three straight points, including a pair of kills from Anderson to take a 20-15 lead. The Lobos pulled within four points, at  20-16, but a Mueller kill sparked another 4-1 run to put the set out of reach.

Nebraska continued to roll in the finale, as Mueller triggered a 25-17 win to complete the Huskers’ seventh sweep of the year. Mueller drilled six kills in eight swings, as the Huskers out-hit the Lobos, .414-.103, in the finale. Mueller keyed the decisive 10-4 run, drilling three straight kills to help turn a one point lead into a 14-7 cushion. The Lobos made one last run, pulling to within 18-12, but four straight Husker points, capped by a block by Cooper and Anderson, squelched New Mexico’s final hope and made it a 21-12 cushion.

Fairchild had nearly half of the Lobo’s 30 kills as a team, as no other player had more than four. The sweep marked the first time the Lobos had dropped a set all season.

The Huskers open Big 12 action Wednesday night, Sept. 17, as they travel to Manhattan, Kan., to take on the Kansas State Wildcats. First serve is set for 7 p.m. and the match will be carried on the Husker Sports Network, including B107.3 FM in Lincoln and Twister 93.3 FM in Omaha, and on the Internet at Huskers.com.

In the afternoon’s first match, Kyna Washington’s 14 kills and nine blocks led LSU (5-2) to a 18-25, 25-19, 25-16, 26-24 victory over St. John’s to earn third place.  The Tigers dominated at the net, out-blocking the Red Storm (5-5), 16-2 in the match, including 9-0 in the second set even the match. Brittnee Cooper added 10 kills and seven stuffs, while Lauren DiGirolamo had 11 kills and six blocks in the win. Chen  Chen’s 14 kills paced three Red Strom players in double figures in a losing effort.

Ameritas Players Challenge All-Tournament Team
Elena Martinez ? LSU
Kyna Washington ? LSU
Jade Michaelson - New Mexico
Jeanne Fairchild - New Mexico
Kori Cooper ? Nebraska
Sydney Anderson ? Nebraska
Jordan Larson ? Nebraska - MVP

Nebraska Coach John Cook
On heading into Wednesday’s Big 12 opener
“We want to play well and build confidence. The game of volleyball doesn’t care whether you go 3-0 or go five sets, as long as their competing hard all of the time. We play more ranked teams than any other team in the country, so I don’t know what else we can do to get challenge, but this team has risen to the challenge and they should have a lot of confidence for next week.”

On comparing Jordan Larson’s aces to Val Novak’s school record of 161
“They played a lot more games back then. The games were side outs and it was longer. We go to 25 points and Jordan (Larson) has been on teams that have won a lot of 3-0 matches, so that’s what makes (her attempt at the record) so impressive. “

On if Larson is one of the best servers to come out of Nebraska
“I think so, especially if she earns that record. You got to look at aces as a big deal, but the thing is Jordan does it without making a lot of errors.  Jordan is pretty close to being even for her career, which is a sign of a great server. The other thing she does, she uses a lot of opportunities to score points. You can’t just look at aces, but how do they pass her. She has as high of scoring numbers as anybody we’ve ever had the way we measure that efficiency-wise. So, she’s got that balance and has been very consistent throughout her career.”

Outside Hitter Jordan Larson
On if the team is ready for conference play
"I think so. We've had a great preseason, obviously, but I think in Big 12 play you start to have those rivalries, and that kind of builds a little more energy and a little more fight.  It will be a different test for us to get up for each match and know that each match is going to be a battle.

On getting off to a better start this match then last night
"I think nerves kind of played into it yesterday. It's great to be back in the Coliseum. We haven't been here for a while, so it was a great feeling to be back in the Coliseum. People ask why we don't like playing in front of 13,000 (people). We do, but it's such a different atmosphere. Here in the Coliseum it's just so intimate, so it's good to be back here and feel the crowd."

Libero Kayla Banwarth
On how they feel the team has improved since the first weekend
"That first weekend really set the bar high for us. You get better or you get worse every day in practice, and we made the decision that we wanted to get better every day. That's only really going to come with hard work. So if you set the bar high, you're going to have to build off of that. We have high expectations for ourselves this year, and we want to do great things, so we just keep going up from here."